In the past, paper output from an ink jet printer was either allowed to dry naturally without any special heating or drying schemes, or it was heated in a non-uniform manner, usually with a drying system which was not directly a part of the ink jet printer. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,095,234 and 4,501,072 for examples of non-uniform paper drying systems. In the case of the natural drying method, there is normally insufficient time elapse between ink printing and paper stacking or the like, thereby causing ink smearing to occur. In known non-uniform heating and drying systems, the non-uniform heat flux into the paper often produce hot spots in the paper, and this drying non-uniformity requires some type of compensation treatment for either the paper or the paper handling system or both.